


Archibald

by padfootagain



Category: Actor RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 10:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17262587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padfootagain/pseuds/padfootagain
Summary: Your best friend’s dog love this man you meet in Central Park. And you quickly begin to like him too…





	Archibald

**Author's Note:**

> Pure fluff. I hope you like this!

“Don’t forget to walk him several times every day.”

“Yes, Charlie.”

“And be careful, he can’t eat anything that is too sugary.”

“I know.”

“And don’t let him go into your bedroom, or he’ll give me hell when I’m back, and will refuse to stay in the living room.”

“Yes, Charlie. Don’t worry. Archie and I will be just fine. Won’t we, buddy?”

The Labrador at your feet merely barked in response. Your best friend heaved a sigh, bending to grab his suitcase.

“If anything happens…” Charlie went on.

“… I call you,” you finished for him, kissing him goodbye. “Enjoy your holidays, I’ll take care of your dog.”

Charlie spent a moment bidding farewell to Archibald, before giving you hug, and hurrying towards his car to head for the airport.

“And bring me back something from the Caribbean!” you cried after him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring you real rum!” he laughed, starting his car.

He weaved at you while driving down the lane, and you soon turned towards his dog again as the car disappeared beyond the corner of the buy street.

“Well, Archie… let’s go to my place. We’ll come back here in a couple of days to check if everything is okay. What do you think?”

Once again, the dog barked in response, happily waving his tail.

You merely laughed before heaving a sigh…

Of course… your best friend was going to enjoy his holidays in the Caribbean while you had to stay in New York in the dying winter, still freezing to death in New York and keeping an eye on Charlie’s dog and plants…

Really, life was unfair…

——————————–

You knew that complaining would not magically transform the situation you were in into heaven. You knew that your problems would not go away because you kept on rambling about them. But it was still making you feel much better. And you had read in a magazine a few months ago that it was healthier to express your worries than to keep them buried inside your chest. So you were not that guilty when your eyes fell on Archibald again, who was sitting patiently at your feet on the ground while you kept on telling him about this awful week of yours.

“You must be bored, poor boy,” you smiled.

You let your eyes roam across the park again. You were just so tired, you didn’t even have the will to stand up from this bench you were sitting on. Instead, you chose to watch Central Park for a while longer, strangers wandering under the bare trees, the birds flying around, the children playing and laughing…

It made you peaceful, surprisingly, this busy place always filled with people. Although, it wasn’t that surprising actually, why you found this park relaxing : it was probably the only place in New York were people were not in a hurry. They walked, they talked, they laughed, but no one hurried with a phone on their ear and a Starbucks coffee in their hand. And it felt soothing to watch people passing by and taking their time to do so…

As you got lost in your thoughts, your hold on Archie’s leash loosened. And when the dog spotted something in the distance, standing up and immediately sprinting away from you, you didn’t have a single chance to hold him back. You watched him running away from you with wide eyes for a few seconds.

“Oh… fuck!”

You hurried after the dog, calling his name… but the animal didn’t pay any attention to your shouts, still rushing towards a man…

“Archie! Come back!” you cried.

The man seemed to finally notice the dog that ran towards him, but instead of being scared, or surprised or even perplexed, he welcomed the dog with a grin, kneeling down to pet him.

“I’m so sorry,” you apologized to the man, who merely looked up at you in a frown. “I just… the leash slipped…”

You tried to catch your breath before adding anything, but the stranger merely stood up. You looked at his blue jeans, his warm dark coat, his surprised expression, his dark brown eyes… you were certain to have seen him before, but you couldn’t remember where.

“What?” he merely asked, an amused glint passing through his intense gaze.

“I’m sorry, about the dog… running to you like that.”

“It’s… okay,” he frowned. “I know him.”

“You know him?” you asked back.

“I do. But I don’t know _you._ Where’s Charlie?”

“How do you know Charlie?”

“What are you doing with his dog?”

You thought for a second, but you reckoned that it was for the best if you chose to tell the truth. After all, if he was lying, why would Archie have run towards him? And how could this stranger know about Charlie anyway?

“I’m taking care of Archie for the coming weeks, while Charlie is gone for the holidays.”

The stranger nodded.

“Yeah, he mentioned something about the Caribbean, right?” he asked.

“Exactly.”

The two of you exchanged a smile, now convinced that you both knew Charlie well.

“How do you know him?” you asked the stranger before you.

“He’s my neighbour!” he answered with a happy smile. “I live right down the street.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, what about you?”

“We went to College together.”

“So long time friends then. It explains why he entrusted you with his baby!”

You both laughed, looking down at the blond dog at your feet.

“Yes, I take care of this guy while Charlie’s away.”

Your eyes met for a moment, wrinkles brought at the corners of your two connected glances by your smiles. And there was something in his eyes, a little spark, a flame burning in there that was both wild and gentle. For a moment you were frozen on the spot, unaware of what could happen around you. It felt… as if time had stopped for a moment, making the instant last for little bit longer than it should have…

You were unable to look away, but you didn’t know why.

And he couldn’t find a way to tear his gaze away from yours, but he wasn’t aware of any logical reason.

You felt Archie moving at your feet, bringing a part of your mind back to reality. To the crowded park, to the people walking around you, to the dog lying next to you…

You finally realized that you didn’t even know his name.

“I’m Y/N, by the way,” you breathed, offering him your open palm.

He shook your hand, but his brown eyes never left yours.

“Oscar,” he grinned, the gesture reaching his eyes and making them sparkle. “Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

There was something in his voice when he said your name. Something soft and warm that made your heart skip a beat.

Archie barked quite loudly, tearing both of you out of your trance, your stares falling upon the animal, that suddenly seemed impatient to get moving.

“I reckon that Archibald wants to take a walk.”

“Looks like it, yes,” you nodded, a bit saddened to have to bid Oscar goodbye.

Which was ridiculous. You didn’t know him at all after all…

“I guess that Archie and I should go then,” you said with a soft smile.

Oscar nodded slowly, letting you leave. He watched as you slowly turned around. He didn’t move when you took a step away from him. He remained motionless when you took another step.

But when your foot hit the ground for the third time, his voice cut the air.

“Mind if I walk with you a bit?”

You turned around again. His intense eyes were fixed upon you, searching through your own gaze for an answer, an approbation…

You met him with a smile.

“Sure, let’s walk then.”

————————————————————-

You felt dizzy. Light-headed. Floating on a little cloud…

But what was happening to you?

Since you had left Central Park, parting from Oscar, you had felt… different. Happier.

The two of you had walked through the park, talking, walking back and forth, crossing the park several times, not caring about the people leaving all around you as time flew by only too quickly. You had talked for a long time, speaking about each other, about your lives… it didn’t feel like talking to a stranger that you were getting to know. It felt like speaking with an old friend that you had not encountered in a long time and had so many things to share with.

Through your talk, you had understood who he was, where you had seen him before. You felt stupid for not recognizing him in a second. He was famous after all…

You heaved a sigh as you sat on the same bench than yesterday. At your feet, Archibald was playing with a little ball you had given him. Your eyes were set on the strangers passing before you, but they were out of focus this time. Your attention was not set on the real world displayed before you, it was wandering through memories of the previous day.

You had come at the same hour than yesterday to Central Park, after your day of work. Your feet had guided you to this bench without your brain even noticing the path. Somehow, you hoped… you hoped that he would come again…

It was stupid. You had parted the previous evening with no promises, no phone numbers, nothing more than a smile and an ‘it was nice meeting you’. And yet you longed to see him for some reason. Your brain kept on telling you that he was out of your league : handsome, famous, funny, clever… But he had been so kind to you as well the day before, you couldn’t help but hope that there may be a chance that he had felt the same, that he had felt this connection uniting your two beings for a moment.

You let out a wry chuckle, laughing at yourself. You were being ridiculous… Why would he come back at the same spot, at the exact same hour? How could he have the same hope as the one you held into your heart? Why would he want to see you again?

Archie suddenly let out a bark, making you jump, and you followed the gaze of the dog as he happily waved his tail at the sight of something…

… or someone.

Your eyes grew slightly round at the sight of Oscar walking towards you, a relieved grin on his face.

Wait… relieved? Why relieved…?

“Hey,” he breathed, standing right before you.

You stood up in a hurry, your two stares colliding, mingling, capturing the other’s soul in the blink of an eye.

“Hey,” you whispered back.

“I… I was hoping to see you here again tonight, to be honest,” he said, and you could have sworn that his tanned cheeks were redder than before.

“I was hoping to see you again too,” you grinned, your heart rushing into your chest, but you didn’t dare to look through your mind for a reason.

You exchanged a warm smile.

“Want to take a walk?” he asked.

“I’d love to,” you nodded, your heart suddenly full of a strange feeling…

… something between affection and euphoria and happiness. You couldn’t tell what it was yet, but somehow, you knew that you would soon have an answer.

You followed him down the path, walking between large pieces of grass and tall trees. And despite the crowd all around you, it felt like you were alone with him in the busy park…

—————————————————————–

You met him again the day after that. And the day after. And the day after…

During the whole two weeks during which you kept an eye on Archibald, Oscar came to that same bench, waiting for you. You would walk across Central Park or merely spend a long time sitting side by side, with only words spoken floating around the two of you. Stories shared, and lives explained, tales exaggerated to bring a smile on the other’s face, jokes breathed out while chuckling…

The more days passed, the more you were looking forward to see him, counting down the hours that remained to be spent before talking with him again. Conversations. Endless conversations, two dark brown eyes, and a bright smile… you longed to find these again more and more.

But the last day before Charlie would come back eventually arrived. The second his eyes met yours, he knew something was wrong, even before you could say hi, even before you could sit down on the bench with him.

Oscar frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked bluntly.

You shrugged, forcing a smile.

“Nothing. I’m just a bit tired.”

He nodded, although he could feel that you were lying.

“Charlie’s coming back tomorrow,” he said.

You nodded, giving a worried look at the dark clouds above your head, that seemed to menacingly float above the city.

“I bet we’ll hear about his trip for a long while,” he chuckled.

“Oh… yes… and the photos, don’t forget the photos!” you reminded him, laughing already.

You felt your cheeks blushing. Not five minutes had passed since you arrived, and yet you were all smile already…

“And… I guess that… you’ll have to say goodbye to that guy here, right?” he said, nodding at the dog that lied at your feet.

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“Does that mean… that you’ll… stop coming here?”

You intensely stared at him, trying to read through his mind to find out the true meaning of his words. They sounded innocent, but somehow you knew they weren’t.

He kept on staring back at you, trapping your soul into his dark brown eyes. Until you flinched, feeling something cold and wet hitting your cheek. It took you several seconds to understand where this droplet came from.

In the blink of an eye, it was raining enough to soak your hair.

“Oh shit!” Oscar chuckled, standing up.

You imitated him, ready to take a run to the exit, but you felt him covering you with his jacket first, before placing his hands on your arms and guiding you towards the large gates of Central Park.

You hurried across the busy street to reach the nearest café, looking for shelter to escape from the cold rain of March.

When your eyes met again, finally reaching the warmth of the café, the smell of chocolate and cream filling up your senses, both you and Oscar exploded with laughter.

“Well… Now that we’re here, would you like a coffee?” he asked with an amused smile.

“I’d love one,” you nodded, following him across the room.

Once settled at a table, a soaked Archibald spread under the table between your and Oscar’s feet, you heaved a sigh, relaxing, holding the cup in your hands to let the hot beverage warm your frozen fingers.

“So, where were we?” Oscar smiled, sipping on his coffee. “Hmm… yes! Archibald! And Charlie!”

You drank a gulp from your cup, remaining silent.

“You didn’t give me any answer, though,” he pointed out.

You shrugged.

“Well… I won’t have Archie to take for a walk then,” you said slowly, your tone cautious, your eyes studying his reaction.

A glint suddenly appeared in his eyes, and a smile that you could only describe as flirtatious appeared on his lips.

“Well… You could take me for a walk,” he offered.

You both laughed, although his eyes were too serious for you not to blush.

“More seriously though,” Oscar went on, looking down at his smoking cup of coffee, “I was wondering if you would ever consider to… see me again, after Archie is not a valid excuse for me to join you in that park anymore.”

You smiled.

“I… I don’t know. Perhaps.”

You exchanged a smile.

“Well… maybe you could be kind with a man who’s celebration his birthday today,” he added playfully.

“Is it your birthday today?” you frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier this week?”

“Because I didn’t know the answer to that question of mine yet.”

Your cheeks turned crimson again.

“Well… how could I be so cruel to refuse now that I know that it’s your birthday?”

He grinned.

“I’m throwing a little party tonight at my home. We won’t be many. But there will be a cake. A good one. Would you like to come?”

You smiled.

“Well… if the cake is good…”

You exchanged another smile, and slowly, he moved his hand across the table to reach yours, his fingertips brushing against yours, before holding them and giving them a tender squeeze.

And when you looked into his brown eyes again, there was another feeling painted there, a shade that he had been hiding before. It was soft, tender, and so earnest that your lips formed a grin on their own accord.

And something was letting you guess that it was only the first time out of many that you would be lucky enough to see this glint shining in his eyes. A tender thought towards the dog still lying at your feet crossed your mind.

You reckoned that you owed Archie a thank you for making Oscar enter your life, as your instinct could make you feel that the smiling man before you was not about to walk out of it before a very, very long time…


End file.
